Alcohol solutions (alcohol and water), are used extensively in the printing industry as a wetting or moistening agent for printing plates. The solution is applied to the "non-image" area of the printing plate, and acts as a result to prevent ink from adhering to the non-image portion of the printing plate.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,013,008 describes the use and purposes of "dampening water" which is normally termed a fountain solution because it is carried on the press in a fountain pan. This patent discloses at column 1, lines 4 to 24 as follows: "The non-image portion of the plate is essentially bare metal. The printing plates are bound and tightly clamped around a cylinder generally termed a `printing cylinder.` In use, the plate is `dampened` by applying, through a dampener roller or other dampener system, a thin sheet of water to the plate with each revolution of the printing cylinder. Greasy inks are then applied to the plate, usually by means of a roller in contact with the printing cylinder. The greasy ink is attracted to the greasy image regions of the plate, and is repelled by the water-sheeted bare metal portions of the plate. Similiarly, the water applied to dampen the plate is attracted to the sheets over the bare metal portions thereof but is repelled by the greasy image portions thereof." The patent also teaches the use of isopropyl alcohol in the fountain solution to improve the wetting qualities.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,278,467 to Fadner teaches substitute additives for isopropyl alcohol in a fountain solution for lithographic offset printing so as to avoid the adverse toxic and flammable properties of fountain solutions containing isopropyl alcohol.
Alcohols are also used in various inks, and other coatings as a solvent to control viscosity and drying characteristics.
Alcohols used in the printing industry have a major deficiency because of the amount of emissions which naturally occur because of the low boiling point and inherent volatility of alcohols. Isopropyl alcohol, for example, is toxic and flammable resulting in health, fire and safety hazards in the workplace.